Southeastern Correction employee named teacher of the year

12:48 AM,
May 2, 2013

Deborah Turner, a teacher at the Southeastern Correctional Complex Lancaster facility, smiles after being recognized for being named the Region III Correctional Education Association Teacher of the Year for 2013. The award recognizes the best teacher at a correctional facility in the six state region.

Written by

Francesca Sacco
The Eagle-Gazette Staff

Deborah Turner has grown accustomed to people questioning her decision to teach in a prison.

"A lot of people don't understand working in a prison. They're like, 'Why would you work at a prison?' It affects everybody. The community. The state," said Turner, a teacher at the Southeastern Correction Complex's Lancaster facility. "Most people are going to get out. If you can make a difference in their lives, it makes a difference in all the people they touch afterward. That's powerful. That's why I do what I do."

Turner's determination to help others was just one of many reasons why she was chosen ...